Top 10 Diet Dos and Don’ts

Bathing suit season is here, and you know what that means – it’s time to roll out all the old “I need to lose weight fast!” diet tricks. Eating nutritiously will help you lose the extra pounds, maintain a healthy weight, or never gain in the first place.Here are my top 10 diet tips to help you slim down for summer…

1. Don’t Starve Yourself

Research does show you can lose unwanted weight by starving yourself.

The problem is that up to 50% of that weight loss comes from muscle tissue, not from fat.

And that sets you up for pure disaster.

Muscles are your body’s metabolic furnace; each pound burns about 50 calories a day. On the other hand, every pound of muscle you lose on a starvation diet slows your metabolism down by 50 calories a day.

So while you may be proud of the 10 pounds you lost by eating only celery and carrot sticks, five of those pounds are likely from muscle loss. And five pounds of muscle that previously burned 50 calories per pound equals a 250-calorie reduction in your metabolism.

To make matters worse, as your metabolism slows down, you’ll have to eat less and less food to compensate.

Breakfast may be considered the most important meal of the day, but it doesn’t have to be the most time-consuming. You can save a lot of time and energy by keeping this meal simple and straightforward.

There are many quick, healthful breakfast foods you can stock in your pantry. Stick with high-fiber cereal, whole-grain toast, oatmeal, and fresh fruit – foods you can throw together in just a few minutes. Then make an additional effort to ensure your lunches and dinners are nutritionally balanced.

Still don’t feel like you have time to throw together a bowl of milk and bran flakes?

If you’re constantly rushing out the door in the morning, plan ahead. Keep trail mix and dried fruit stashed in your car’s glove box, granola bars in your purse or bag, and packets of oatmeal in your desk at work.

3. Do Eat Fat to Lose Weight

Fat has been given a bad rap over the years, but not all fat is bad for you. In fact, some fats are essential for weight loss.

My all-time favorite source of healthy fat is flaxseed oil derived from flax seeds. It’s the richest source of omega-3 fats, which are often deficient in the typical American diet.

Your body uses omega-3s to maintain the integrity and function of your body’s 75 trillion cell membranes, which in turn support healthy joints, shiny hair and strong nails, radiant skin, and the membranes of your muscles. And because omega-3s are so widely used throughout your body, they almost never get stored as body fat!

And that’s not all the good news: Flaxseed oil activates leptin, a hormone that helps suppress appetite and leaves you feeling full longer.

This superstar oil also activates a type of fat called brown fat that lies deep within your body and surrounds your vital organs. Leftover from the days when we braved the elements with little clothing, brown fat burns calories for heat. When you activate your brown fat, you burn extra calories and boost your overall metabolism.

Fresh flaxseed oil tastes great, so don’t be afraid to sip a spoonful daily. Or, make homemade vinaigrette out of it, and drizzle liberally on your salads. Yum!

4. Don’t Skimp on This Calorie-Free Calorie Burner

Water may be the furthest thing from your mind when you’re busy. But not drinking enough of the clear stuff can have dire consequences – even for your waistline!

Dehydration can slow your metabolism by 3%. For someone who weighs 150 pounds, that amounts to 45 fewer calories burned each day.

Even though this may not sound like a lot, think in the long term. Those extra 45 calories a day – equal to one tablespoon of pancake syrup – can prevent your body from burning almost 5 pounds of fat a year. It really adds up!

Few people drink as much water as they should. If you feel thirsty, you’re already dehydrated. So don’t rely on your body to tell you when to drink.

Instead, drink water on a regular basis. Keep a large water bottle at your desk, and take generous sips frequently. Drink a tall glass of water before and after your workout, at your lunch break and before dinner.

5. Do Fight Fat at Night

Those eight hours after your head hits the pillow aren’t just for dreaming. While you sleep, your body actually repairs and rebuilds your muscles.

But, if you eat too close to bedtime, your body will spend its energy digesting the food in your tummy and not recuperating your muscles.

Worse yet, your metabolism slows at night, which means many of the calories you eat late in the evening will be stored as fat. Unfortunately, many of us are late-night snackers and need to learn to overcome these urges.

The most important thing you can do is eat enough during the day. Skipping meals will slow down your metabolism and make you susceptible to late-night binges. Many people snack before bedtime not because they’re hungry, but because they are bored, tired, lonely or depressed.

Ask yourself if you are truly hungry before you even step into the kitchen or dip into your snack stash.6. Don’t Eat if You’re Not Hungry

Are you a chronic overeater? It may not be that your hunger hormone is working overtime, but rather that you’re eating out of habit. A lot of people overeat simply because the food is readily available. So get rid of the visual cues!

Instead of eating “family style,” with platters of extra food right on the table in front of you, dish the correct portions onto your plate and leave the rest of the food in the kitchen. Don’t bring it to the table where you might be tempted to indulge in seconds… or thirds.

Do the same with your snacks. Buy “sometimes” items such as chips and sweets in small packs or individual servings. Or take the treats out of their regular-size bags and divide into portion-controlled servings that you can store in the cupboard, fridge or freezer.

This way, you won’t be tempted to down a jumbo-size package while you watch TV or talk on the phone. And never ever eat ice cream straight from the container.

7. Do Make Healthy Swaps

The thought of having to give up many of your favorite foods in order to lose weight can be daunting. Fortunately, I believe there is room for all foods – including butter – in a healthy, balanced diet.

That said, I also think there are satisfying substitutions you can make for less nutritious foods that won’t leave you feeling deprived.

Instead of slathering on the butter, I want you to try a simple switch to a healthier fat for a few days. Fill a small plastic container with olive oil and put it in the refrigerator. The oil will harden, taking on the consistency of butter.

Spread this on your toast instead of butter. It will taste different at first, but after a few days, your taste buds will grow used to it. And you’ll probably even come to prefer the olive oil.

8. Don’t Eat Too Much Saturated Fat

Fat isn’t all bad. Good fats found in foods such as fatty fish, nuts and flaxseeds are essential to your health and ability to lose weight. But when it comes to bad fats, such as saturated fat, it’s important to understand what types of food they hide in so you can avoid them.

High amounts of saturated fats are found in animal products such as beef, milk, cheese, lunch meat, butter and bacon.

You can avoid these fats – and continue to eat animal products – with these adjustments to your diet:

1. Choose lower-fat options.These include white-meat chicken and turkey (without the skin) and reduced-fat dairy products. If you eat a lot of red meat, look for the lowest-fat options, such as ground round or sirloin, sirloin steaks, reduced-fat lunch meat, reduced-fat bacon and ham. I also recommend soy versions of traditional meat – they taste great and are much lower in fat.

2. Watch your portion sizes.An appropriate serving of meat is 3-5 ounces – not the 12-ounce prime rib found on restaurant menus. Choose a 3-ounce serving if you weigh less than 150 pounds or a 5-ounce serving if you weigh more than 150 pounds. This equates to roughly the size of one or two decks of cards.

9. Do Follow Smart Tips for Dining Out

One of the biggest obstacles dieters face is sticking to their plan when dining out at restaurants. It can be a scary prospect – all those tempting sights and smells. But I say you can eat out without sabotaging your diet – no matter where you go. Just follow these 10 tips:

1. Think of your dieting goals the same way you do your credit card: Never leave home without them.

2. You‘re the one paying the bill, so you’re the one in charge. Look at the menu, ask questions and make substitutions when necessary.

3. Substitute a salad or vegetables for French fries – you’ll save hundreds of calories.

4. Ask for dressings and sauces to be served on the side.

5. Use extra-virgin olive oil instead of butter. Both add calories, but olive oil is chock full of healthy fats.

7. Know that a typical restaurant portion of meat is 9-12 ounces. However, a true serving of meat is only 3-4 ounces.

8. When your entrée arrives, divide it into the appropriate portions before you start to eat. Ask for a to-go box for the leftovers, and wrap them up immediately. Out of sight, out of mind.

9. Avoid all-you-can-eat buffets.

10. Don’t eat from anyone else’s plate; that counts, too.

10. Don’t Let One Blunder Ruin Your Whole Diet

“I’ve already blown it today, so I might as well give up.” I know how discouraging it can feel after you lose control and make a dieting mistake. But you can’t let it weigh you down, or you’ll never lose the weight!

In fact, you’ve never blown it until you’ve given up altogether. One overeating episode will not ruin your entire diet, and you can still hop back on that wagon and head for success.

Think of it like this: For the same reason fat is so hard to lose, it is also hard to gain. You have to eat 3,500 excess calories in order to gain just one pound of fat.

That’s a lot of food – way more than you’ve ever eaten in one sitting. So chalk up your mistake to just that – a minor setback, not a diet-ending catastrophe.

Are You Addicted to Food?

There's nothing wrong with giving into indulgences from time to time. But have you crossed the line from feeding your body to feeding a food addiction? Find out with this food addict quiz.

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